What if things were different?
by Mariana.Pt
Summary: Things are different at the karuta nationals. From then, they meet a girl who slowly begins to take Chihaya's place in the club. To make things worse, Chihaya's family is going through a rough period and her desicions leave her kicked out of the house. Devastated, Chihaya undergoes a change. What will happen from now?
1. The girl who changed everything

"I...lost." The haze of despair surrounded me, engulfing me. I couldn't breathe. How? Why? My brain seemed to have malfunctioned. I couldn't make sense of anything as my opponent did the customary bows. Her face grew twisted in my mind, I could almost see her smirking maliciously at me, mocking me for ever being complacent. I had no right to think that I could beat her. Disappointment followed as reality struck me. A raging fire tore through the length of my throat as I choked back the hot liquid that threatened to overflow from my already blurred eyes. My palm pressed against my mouth, I took off. Blindly, I pushed past the audience. Their faces seemed to rise above me, sneers flashing past me as disgusted mutters escaped their distorted mouths.

"Who does she think she is?"

"Be grateful that Yumin didn't crush you any worse, you snob"

Like a frightened animal, I scoured for a hideyhole. "Here!", a little room with its doors wide open, seemed to coax me to hide in there. I ran straight for it, only to stop. "How disgusting." This remark that whispered it's way into my ear wasn't part of my imagination. I turned, meeting a pair of blurred but strong blue eyes that was filled with much contempt. Her pretty little mouth was twisted with disgust, a little sigh of irritation escaping from her full lips.

She had struck a nerve. I felt so embarrassed. I could feel the stares of disdain directed at me. I stood there for what felt like an eternity before I heard Taichi and Arata's voice in unision," Chihaya..." No, I couldn't possibly let them see me now, not after I've disappointed them. Without turning back, I ran straight for the little room and dove into the cupboard. Someone pounded hard against the door. Arata and Taichi were shouting my name above all the ruckus. I couldn't really care about it, not when the bubble of dismay was shrouding me, crushing me. I folded my knees and just sat there, staring. The noise in my head blocked out most of the noise from outside. Stupid, stupid me. Regret tore through me. Can I really be the Queen when I am having such thoughts? Am I even fit to try out? These questions ricocheted in my mind as just stayed there silently.

I sat there forever before I realised someone was talking to me. A voice like a caress, Arata's voice, reached me," We'll be waiting for you. Come out when you're ready." Retreating footsteps followed and silence descended. I had forgotten. Even if everything seemed wrong in this world, I still had them, my friends who would stick by me forever. Tears rolled down my face. I smiled past my tears as I pushed the door open. Ok, I can do this. Wiping my tears, I ran to meet them.


	2. She's here

It was the day after the karuta nationals. Even though we had losses and wins, it was all in the past now. Now it was time to focus on the upcoming challenger match to run for Master and Queen. "If I'm qualified, I'm gonna get beat you back Wakamiya Shinobu!" I threw open the sliding doors and shouted. All the other students outside, startled, turned to look at me as if I was crazy. Unbothered, I shut the sliding doors and settled down. Tachi smiled at me," Glad you're feeling yourself."

"Haha, of course. Nothing can beat me." Flexing my right arm, I pushed back my sleeve in attempt to look strong. Everyone roared with laughter. I didn't really get what was so funny but, scratching the back of my head, I laughed along.

"Since everyone's happy, let's have a celebratory round of karuta, losers will..." Arata trailed off.

"Have to buy ice-cream for everyone. A new ice-cream shop just opened downtown!" I shouted excitedly.

Everyone agreed and we set the tape recorder to play.

"Naniwa furu-"

"Excuse me, this is the karuta clubroom right?" Her voice was as soft as the twinkling of wind chimes floating in the breeze. Her hair, carried by the breeze, floated gracefully as the most beautiful pair of green eyes peered under her fringe at us. In a trance, all of us stared as she casually brushed the hair that was blocking her face aside. I shook my head, clearing it before answering her," Yes! Are you joining our club?" My voice jolted the others. The longer I stared at her, the more her mysteriously beautiful features looked a lot like someone I met before.

"Yes," she answered gracefully as she entered. "I'm Nanami Mika. I'm new to karuta so I'm in your care."

"Of course, Nana-chan!" I shouted gleefully. One more member to the karuta club! The club was really beginning to feel alot more cosier. "Here, take my place!" I rose, still drunk in happiness and pushed her to sit down. Nana-chan allowed herself to be pushed around, and as she was seated, a chilling voice whispered in my ear," You asked for it." I froze, her threat churning my stomach. I recognized her voice, she was the girl from the karuta nationals. I felt as if I was trapped on a boat, her voice the howling winds fueling the storm's temper, engulfing me. Violently rocking, and rocking. There was no way out of her merciless eyes.

"Chihaya?" Arata's concerned voice dragged out of the pits of hell. Relieved, I scurried to the chair and settled myself down, watching as Nikuman-kun taught Nana-chan...Nanami how to play karuta. I'd better not seem too close to her for now, I wouldn't want her to dislike me anymore than this and being too pushy may have adverse effects.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that I seemed to be slowly drifting apart from my friends who were crowded around Nanami.


	3. Is this the end?

_Crash_

The sound of the breaking glass echoed around the room. Nanami began sobbing as I sat there dumbstruck.

"What's wrong?" Taichi and Arata were alot more in sychro than before as everyone dashed into the clubroom, concerned.

"I'm sorry Kana-Chan. Don't blame Ayase-san, she was just mad at me for being so hopeless in karuta." Tears glistened in her eyes as she sat there, playing the part of a depressed celestial maiden almost to perfection. Around her lay the shards from Kana-chan's favorite ceramic vase that she had brought recently to beautify the clubroom. Upon seeing the shards that surrounded her, Nanami burst into a second round of tears as everyone flocked to her concernedly.

"It's ok Nana-chan, no one is blaming anybody. It's alright." Kana-chan clucked soothingly. All the others fussed over her as they tried to convince her that she was not to blame. I just sat there, staring, my brain distantly registering the fact that they were all there. My mind was foggy as I tried to process what had happened. Nanami and I had been sitting there, setting up the tatami mats when we heard approaching footsteps. Without any warning, Nanami grabbed the vase with abnormally fast reflexes, even having time to smirk at me before letting go of the vase. The crash that ensued, her flawless crying and the confusion in my head was like mayhem. I couldn't understand why Nanami had done that. Did she really hate me? And why was everyone worried over her when she was the culprit.

Suddenly, I felt a strong grip on my right forearm, forcing me to rise. I let out a gasp of pain as I was forcibly dragged out of the room. The back of Arata's head loomed into view as he pulled me along, down the hallway. He suddenly stopped, and pushing me against the wall, he slammed his fist beside my head. Startled, I jumped.

"Wh-"

"What the hell! Aren't you the captain? Isn't it your job to make sure that everyone is happy in the club? Why-" Arata was choked full of anger, stammering as he lashed out at me. A hand across Arata's chest, Taichi shook his head, hinting to Arata to stop. Thank goodness Taichi had intervened then. Tears were already swimming in my eyes as my vision faded in and out. A wave of dizziness swept over me as I struggled not to succumb to the darkness. Oblivious to my feelings, Taichi waited for Arata to calm down before he sighed resignedly," Why did you have to get mad at Nanami?" When had they gotten so close to the point of being on a first-name basis, I couldn't help but wonder. Had I been subconsciously tuning out everything with the slightest relation to her?

"I wasn't. She dropped the vase-"

"So you're saying that Nanami was the one who broke the vase?" Taichi stared me down disapprovingly.

"No," I started. "What I'm trying to say is that she might have carelessly-"

"I can't believe how ridiculous you are!" Arata shouted at me, unable to control his anger any longer. "I thought you were better than this, and here you are pushing the blame on someone else! I wish we had never met! Forget it, we're leaving! Taichi." I would never forget this scene. Arata glared at me with eyes full of hatred as he stormed of, with Taichi following behind him. A throbbing pain, then, nothing. In a dream-like trance, I slowly lifted my hand to the left of my chest. Nothing. Where my vibrant heart used to beat was a forlorn hollow.

"Hahaha" I laughed without humour as the words "I wish we had never met!" ricocheted in my brain. There was something wet on my face. Was I crying? Well, it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore since all my friends were no longer there for me. Arata had rather we never met, he hated me. Maybe it was for the best that the numbness was all I could feel.


	4. Separation

Blindly, I stumbled back into the room. Everyone turned to stare at me disapprovingly, except for Arata. With his back facing me, he continued talking to Nanami, blatantly ignoring my presence. The atmosphere was like a heavy cloud, slowly choking me. I staggered towards my bag, lowering my head ever so slightly, creating a thin barrier with my hair, between us. My fingers touched my bag and I clutched it to my chest tightly, moving towards the door. The bag in my hands was a present from all the karuta club members when I had turned 16. Now, it was the sole proof that our friendship had not been a fleeting dream. As I placed my hand on the door to open it, Nanami suddenly rushed up to me.

"Chihaya-chan!" She shouted as she hugged me. Lowering her voice, her maliciousness sent chills running down my spine. "How does it feel like to have all your friends stolen now?" She chuckled silently. Her voice sounded so twisted that I could barely hold down the bile that rose to my throat.

"Nana-chan, don't be sad." Arata reassuringly placed a hand on her shoulder. Obviously they had mistaken her chuckles for sobs. My heart 'squeezed'. All of them were wrapped around her little finger. She trembled slightly, playing up her act.

I was at my limit. I pushed her away, before standing with my back towards them. "It was nice getting to know all of you, but I think it'll be best if I left. Goodbye." I slammed the door shut behind me. Silent tears fell as my chest was gripped with pain. It was all over. Our friendship, everything. It felt as if they had all ran far ahead with Nanami, leaving me behind- alone…


	5. Can things get any worse

"Ow." I muttered as I crashed into something. In a half-dazed state, I absorbed my surroundings. The thing that I crashed into had been the door to my home. Subconsciously, I had made my way home.

"This won't do! That little setback is nothing! Besides, nothing can get any worse than that." Optimistically, I wiped away the tear streaks on my face, before opening the door. "I'm h-" Something small and hard flew past my face before I had time to finish my sentence. Blood oozed from the wound. Stunned, i shakily touched the wound, unable to process the situation before me. Oka-san stood in front of me, surrounded by transparent shards. It appeared to be the remnants of the jug that we used to serve our guests. She didn't respond when I opened the door and I was about to ask about the situation, before she collapsed. Otou-san, somehow or rather, caught her in time, though he too looked as if he was on the verge of fainting.

"Otou-san, what's wrong?" My voice cracked under the stress, but he didn't seem to notice. " How come you're home so early? DId something happen?" The questions flowed out. I couldn't stop. 'W-"

"I lost my job." Otou-san disrupted my train of thoughts. My knees trembled as I sank onto the floor. No, no. This wasn't possible. Not Otou-san too. I gazed into Otou-san's eyes, begging him to say that this was a lie. That he and Onee-san hadn't lost their jobs. Were we really going to be penniless, just like that? Almost as if he couldn't bear it, he looked away. Carrying Oka-san like a princess, he went to his bedroom. On normal occasions I would have teased them but today, my face felt stiff.

I felt so suffocated. Everything I had was gone in an instant. I dropped my bag onto the floor, struggling to carry my own weight as I haphazardly walked towards my room. Once inside, I shut the door behind me. As I crawled onto my bed, I huddled into a ball. Finally alone, the tears wouldn't stop.

"It's all over." The voice that came out was monotonous. Dead. I rocked myself gently as the words repeated over and over again in my mind. This was it. Nothing would ever be the same again. This was my last thought, before I embraced the darkness.


	6. Nothing is the same

In this story, I 'fast-forwarded' the story, and just a heads-up, there will be a period of time without Chihaya, but I hope that the story will continue to interest all my readers and I promise that Chihaya will 'come' back soon. In case the story gets confusing, the front part of the chapter is in Kana-chan's POV. In their dialogues and thoughts, everyone is either referred to by their surnames or their names that is not their nickname. Thanks for all your support and enjoy! ^^

* * *

The mid-spring breeze carried sakura blossoms into the well-maintained clubroom. Light danced across the recently cleaned floor. A trophy stood proudly on the table in the middle of the clubroom, along with the precious memories the club had at the Omi Jingu. Laughter floated in from the slightly ajar door.

"We're finally in the clubroom again." Kana-chan chirped excitedly as she rushed towards the drawers where the Hyakunin Isshu cards were kept. She opened the box and took out a card lovingly. Her mind was flooded with the vivid imagery from the card. Lost in it, she was jolted to reality when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Desk-. No. She shook her head, trying not to remember the forbidden incident. Tsutomu-kun, she reminded herself. No one was called by their nicknames ever since that time... Eurgh! She clapped her hands to her head, hoping that it would do the trick.

"Kanade-san, are you alright?" Desktomu-kun asked kindly, being the gentlemen he always was.

"I'm fine!" She cheerily replied, hurrying to setup the tatami mats with him. While she had been lost in her thoughts, the other members of the karuta club had streamed in and were busy setting things up, and, she noticed, Wataya-kun and Mashima-senpai were at it again. It had become a ritual for Mashima-senpai and Wataya-kun to stare solemnly at the only picture left of her from when we won team champions at the Omi Jingu a year ago whenever they entered the clubroom. Undoubtedly, they still felt guilty for having been the cause to her disappearance. Everyone knew too of how they had been secretly searching for leads as to her current location but everything led to a deadend.

"For today, I'll be up against Mashima, Nishida-kun against Tsutomu-kun and Hanano-san against Akhiro-kun. Kanade-san, the reading will be left to you." Arata, the captain of the club ever since that incident, settled himself before Taichi before doing the customary bows. It had become so natural for him to be against Taichi as even after she had left, the level of skills of the two were still worlds apart from the others. Positioning himself to hit away the cards, he couldn't help but recollect the fond memories that the 3 of them had only I hadn't said those cruel words, would you still be the one opposite me, Chihaya?


	7. Why is he here?

Arata stared intently at the recording. He had replayed it countless of times, and he was left awestruck every time as he watched the skills of the newly crowned meijin. The recording showed how Suou suffered a massive defeat of a difference of 13 cards to some unknown karuta player. Suou-san had been unrivaled in terms of game sense, speed and accuracy and the unexpected defeat was a shock throughout the karuta community. Some people rejoiced at having Suou-san overthrown, but the birth of this monster sent chills down everyone's spine. Furthermore, no one knew anything about this kid except that he had never been in an karuta society before and that he supposedly started playing competitive karuta just but a few months before the meijin match.

"Chi-kun." The name had naturally become familiar to him. Resting against the couch, Arata muttered, "Meijin. To become Meijin i have to beat him first. Then I can keep my promise of being meijin to you. Chihaya."

(The next day)

The clubroom was quiet as the club members said their goodbyes, leaving Taichi and Arata alone in the room.

"Wataya, we have to find some new members. Miyauchi-sensei mentioned that we have to get at least one new member, if not our club may be closed down." Taichi fiddled with his hair as he worried over the issue. "Without Chi-" he cleared his throat, wincing as he realised his carelessness, "None of us have the enthusiasm to hunt down the potential karuta players and, not that I'm trying to brag but the first years that try out for our club are mainly those that want to make me their boyfriend."

Eurgh! Arata slumped down into the chair. Being the captain sure wasn't easy, what with having to deal with everything in the club, though having Mashima work alongside him helped eased things. And to think she was the one managing most of the stuff. He smiled wanly.

"I'm sure things will work out. And in the worse case scenario, all we would have to do is show the applications of all the girls who wanted to join thanks to you and hopefully everything will go well." Arata brushed off his worries. "Besides we have to focus on improving ourselves so that we can be the team champions winner again." For Chihaya, the unspoken thought hung in the air.

_Tak...tak...tak..._

"What's the band people doing, that strange sound has been going on for sometime now." Taichi grumbled irritably.

"Don't know. But wasn't today one of the days that we agreed they wouldn't practice on."

"How weird." Taichi stood up and they climbed up the stairs to the band room. The sounds continued. Outside the door, they exchanged glances, mentally preparing themselves before quietly sliding the door open. Peeping in, they saw a lone figure hunched forward. He had his earpiece plugged into his ears and occasionally swung at the karuta cards laid out on the floor. Apparently, the strange sounds they heard had been from the sound of the cards hitting against the window, and the reason for the sound being so loud was due to the fact that the person was swinging at an abnormally fast rate. Arata felt as if he couldn't blink, if not he would miss his swing. Captivated, they didn't move. Arata's voice was but a whisper from shock as he said," That's... Chi-kun."


	8. Friend or Foe?

_Tak. _Silence followed. Without turning around, Chi-kun said, deadly calm," Who's there?"

"Cool! Good-hearing! As expected of Chi-kun." Taichi pushed open the door, boldly striding towards him. Honestly, that Mashima. Arata thought to himself, before making his appearance. Chi-kun turned his head slightly. Under the dim glow from the evening sun, it seemed as if a flash of recognition flitted across his face, but it was too fast for them to be sure.

"What are you doing here? I heard you leaving here a while ago." Chi-kun's voice was monotonous as he turned to pack away the cards.

"Well, we heard some strange noises and came up to investigate. And you're famous in the karuta world, so why are you going to this school?" Arata answered excitedly. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine meeting the karuta prodigy in an average school like his.

"I'm not entitled to answer your questions, am I." He replied cooly, still refusing to look at them.

Taichi was evidently pissed." Hey now, don't act all high and mighty just cause-"

"Mashima." Arata cut in, his sense of responsibility from being captain kicking in. "Chi-kun, are you by any chance interested in joining our karuta club? We're looking for people to join our club and joining would really be a bonus for us." Arata crossed his fingers, praying that Chi-kun would say yes. If he were to join, then victory at the Omi jingu would be assured and he would get to practice agains the meijin.

"No." Chi-kun rejected without batting an eyelash. "There's nothing in it for me. Besides, it's too much of a hassle. Are you done? If you are, then excuse me." Grabbing his stuff, he walked towards the door.

"Hold it right there!" Taichi shouted, grabbing his arm." Even if you're the meijin, it doesn't mean you can act all superior on us."

"Fine then, if you're so unhappy with my attitude. Let's have a bet. All of your karuta members will challenge me and if any of you members manages to take 5 cards away from me, I'll join your karuta club." Chi-kun arrogantly declared. "Oh and a heads-up, Suou only took 12 cards from me. In both rounds." Chi-kun smirked at them before closing the door behind him.

Hearing his receding footsteps, Arata snapped. "What were you thinking? Why did you provoke him? If we settled things peacefully, he might have joined the club. Now we have to take 5 cards from him, don't you know how impossibly fast he is?"

"Chill, I have a plan. All we have to do is tire him out at the beginning and then we start attacking. Simple isn't it? Besides, he's so confident that he won't take us seriously." Taichi smiled widely.

Sigh! There was nothing we could do anyways. Arata thought to himself as he watched Chi-kun leave the school grounds from the window. Hopefully, everything would go well. As he turned to walk out of the room with Taichi, he thought he saw Chi-kun as Chihaya. Blinking, he shook his head.

"I guess I'm thinking about her too much." He muttered, before walking out of the room.


	9. The bet

Silence filled the clubroom.

"T-thank you." Hanano stammered as they exchanged their thanks. Hanano shakily stood up, refusing to believe her eyes. Since she had joined, she had worked hard and was now a B-rank. It was true that the reason she worked so hard was to gain Mashima's attention, but she had unknowingly gotten serious towards karuta. Thus, suffering an overwhelming defeat of 2-25 was shocking. Worse still, the 2 cards she had gotten was because Chi-kun had pitied her and had given her the chance to take them.

"Nishida, you're next." Arata's face was dark. He had already expected a big difference in skills between Hanano-san, Tsukuba and Chi-kun, but for both of them to take only 2 cards each was a great shock. Would we really be able to take 5 cards away from him? The thought ricocheted in his mind. Taichi placed a hand on his shoulder, as if saying that their team was strong enough, and that all they had to do was believe. Arata cleared his head, before saying to the absolutely nervous Nishida," We got your back. Just do your best." Nishida's mouth twitched nervously, almost as if he was trying to smile, gave a thumbs up and knelt before Chi-kun. They did the customary bows as Kanade-san pressed the 'start' button.

"Naniwa-zu ni" The clear voice started out, bringing colourful images to the mind. Chi-kun sat regally with his back straight, his hand lying comfortably on his lap, obviously relaxed. Nishida, however, positioned himself low to the ground, his arm ready to lunge out when the card was called.

"Fu-" The voice from the cassette tape breathed audibly. _Tak_. Before the reader had even fully exhaled, a card was sent flying just inches from their face. Chi-kun rose to get the face-up karuta card as the poem was read out. It was correct. No one wanted to believe it but the reality was staring at them right in the face- his game sense was incomparable. Nishida could only blankly stare as Chi-kun returned to his kneeling position. The game continued on this way, with Nishida-kun occasionally lunging randomly and ending up with lots of faults.

"Chi-" The card was slammed away. Their movement had been too fast for anyone to know who had taken the card. Arata's heart thumped. Did Nishida take the 'Chihaya' card? If he did, did it mean that they had successfully tired Chi-kun out? Everyone's hearts pounded, full of trepidation as someone stood up. Much to everyone's relief, Nishida stood up to take the card. It was the first card successfully taken from Chi-kun with pure skill alone! Yosh, things are just getting starting. This thought raced through all their minds as they were all fired up from Nishida's take. Strangely though, Desktomu-kun stared puzzledly at Chi-kun as he took down some notes.

In everyone's excitement, no one noticed the slight tremble in Chi-kun's hands as he bent lower onto the floor.


	10. Showdown

_Tak...tak_

After Nishida's take, Chi-kun took cards with his usual swiftness. Yet, he seemed off. Perspiration beaded his forehead, his hand quivering slightly as he lunged to take the cards. With his sharp eyes, Desktomu-kun noticed that Chi-kun seemed to be struggling. Not in the sense that he was struggling to win, but it was as if Chi-kun was fighting something in him. He faltered occasionally here and there, giving Nishida the chance to take away more cards.

_How strange_. Desktomu-kun puzzled over it. _When he played against the second years, his play was flawless. Yet up against Nishida, his playing style started to crack. And the strangest thing is... _Desktomu-kun snapped out of his thoughts as Nishida and Chi-kun exchanged bows. Somehow, Nishida had taken 3 cards, purely with his own strength. _Seems like he can't afford sacrifice anymore cards._

Next up, Kana-chan settled down opposite Chi-kun and the match officially started. The same thing happened again, he faltered on a few cards and Kana-chan took them all easily, ending up with 2-25.

"Mashima-senpai, skip me. I need to confirm something. Oh and senpai," Desktomu-kun said, gesturing to him to lower his head as he whispered softly. Bewilderment clouded Taichi's face as the 5th match for the day begin.

_Change your setup. Arrange your cards with all the 1 syllable cards being the focus. And when he hesitates, decipher the first sound and attack the 1 syllable cards or the Chihaya card. _Desktomu-kun's words echoed in his mind.

_How could placing all the 1 syllable cards together be of use. Chi-kun would still get all those cards. And why the Chihaya card. That should be among his best cards._ Taichi couldn't help but think as he arranged the cards according to Desktomu's words. He looked up at his opponent, intending to learn whatever he could about the opponent while he still had time. Shockingly though, the calm expression of Chi-kun's that Taichi had gotten used to in this one day had been replaced by a mask of shock, horror and worry. Somehow, the formation had thrown off Chi-kun and Taichi could not get why. His formation should have been more advantageous to Chi-kun.

The match began. Chi-kun seemed shaken up, barely keeping up with the pace of the game. Already in the early part of the game, Taichi had matched up to Chi-kun, with 4 cards to 7. Chi-kun seemed to be falling apart. Instead of his usual perfect posture, his back was now hunched, and his concentration was slipping.

"Excuse me." Chi-kun shakily wiped the sweat of his face, closing his eyes. Taichi could only watch in amazement as, in a matter of seconds, Chi-kun regained his composure. Opened his eyes, Chi-kun apologised, before sitting up straightly. His eyes burned passionately as he took the next few cards unrelentlessly.

Until the Chihaya card. Again, he hesitated briefly, Desktomu-kun noted. Seizing the chance, Taichi took the card. Silent cheers erupted around the clubroom. Taichi had done the impossible and now Chi-kun had to join their club. Those who had played before hand seemed to have forgotten their total defeats, smiles dancing across their faces.

However, after that card, Chi-kun seemed even more determined, and the match ended with 9-25. _9 cards, now that's a lot of space for improvement._ Taichi thought to himself as he bowed to thank Chi-kun for the game. Walking over and slapping Chi-kun's back, Taichi said cheerily," Welcome to the karuta club! Hand in the club registration form tomorrow during club session. Please take care of us from now!"

Chi-kun merely nodded, before grabbing his bag and making his way towards the door. He stopped short, before turning to Arata," I look forward to our future matches. Captain."

Turning to leave the room, Desktomu-kun and Chi-kun's eyes met.


End file.
